The combined effect of serotonin reuptake inhibition and norepinephrine uptake inhibition on depression is explored in clinical studies of compounds such as Duloxetine (Wong DT: Duloxetine (LY-248686): an inhibitor of serotonin and noradrenaline uptake and an antidepressant drug candidate Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs (1998) 7 10 1691-1699) and Venlafaxine (Khan-A; Fabre-LF; Rudolph-R: Venlafaxine in depressed outpatients Psychopharmacology Bulletin (1991) 27, 141-144).
The present invention provides novel compounds which posses the combined effect of serotonin reuptake inhibition and norepinephrine uptake inhibition for the treatment of affective disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders including general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, panic attacks, specific phobias, social phobia and angoraphobia.